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The Christmas music is on the radio already, and I’m always excited to hear my all-time favorite song, Silver Bells. In fact that son inspired this next pair of earrings in the 25 Days of Cricut Christmas Earrings Event. These sweet Christmas Bell Earrings are so easy to make with faux leather and heat transfer vinyl. You can make them with a Cricut Maker, Maker 3, Explore Air 2 or Explore 3, or even the Cricut Joy.

This SVG is included in my Christmas Earrings Event SVG Bundle – you can learn more and get it here.

I also have the earring SVG template for sale individually in my shop – the link is in the Materials section below.

So if you’re ready to try making these Christmas Bell Earrings with a Cricut, let’s get started!

How to Make Faux Leather Christmas Bell Earrings with a Cricut

For a printable version of the text portion of project instructions, click here.

STEP 1 – Get the Earrings SVG Template

You can get the Christmas Bell Earrings SVG template included in the 25 Days of Cricut Christmas Earrings Event Bundle here or from my shop here. You’ll receive an order confirmation email with a link to download the SVG after purchasing.

Save the zipped folder that downloads to your computer. You’ll need to unzip or extract the folder FIRST so you can upload the Christmas Bell Earrings SVG file to Cricut Design Space.

STEP 2 – Upload The Earrings SVG Template to Cricut Design Space

Click on Upload Image, then browse to where your unzipped file SVG is located on your device.

Click on it to upload it to Design Space. You’ll see a preview of the Christmas Bell Earrings SVG on the screen. Click the UPLOAD button.

Then select the SVG from your Recent Uploads row and click Add to Canvas.

There will be two versions the earring SVGs – one with pre-cut holes and one without. Decide which version you want to use and delete the other one. You will need to ungroup both versions from each other first before you can delete.

I suggest using the “no-holes” version if you want to change the size of the earrings or if you prefer making the holes manually using a hole punch. If you use the “with holes” version, you can always finish making the earring hole with a hole punch if the Cricut doesn’t cut the hole completely.

I have a YouTube video all about earring holes if you want more information about faux leather earring holes or you need help deciding which version you want to use.

Once you only have the one earring pair on your canvas, you can use the Color Sync feature to save time cutting by placing layers that will cut from the same material (but different colors) on the same mat.

For this project, I used silver faux leather for the bottom layer, silver foil heat transfer vinyl for layer #2, and red and green glitter heat transfer vinyl for layers #3 and #4.

I’m cutting the red and green vinyl layers from Glitter Heat Transfer Vinyl, so I’ll cut both of those vinyl layers on the same mat. If you are using a combination of regular and glitter heat transfer vinyls, only color sync the layers that will cut from the same material (and hence use the same material setting).

Click on Color Sync above the layers panel. You’ll see each layer in the design broken down by color. Click on a layer that will cut from the same material as another layer and drag it up to the other color.

Your mat will look like this. This will change the colors in your design, too, but don’t worry. You will still cut the layers from different colors.

It isn’t necessary to resize the earrings. Click the green “Make It” button.

STEP 3 – Prepare to Cut Earring Shapes in Cricut Design Space

When Design Space prompts you to choose how you will load your materials for this project, choose “On Mat.”

See the graphic below to know which layer will cut from what material.

The mat preview screen will show all four mats for this faux leather earrings project, separated by color on the left hand side.

First, toggle the MIRROR button to ON for all the mats in the project. This is because faux leather and heat transfer vinyl cut face down. (If you are using permanent vinyl instead of heat transfer vinyl, don’t mirror the mats you plan to cut from permanent vinyl).

On each mat preview, click and drag the shapes apart from each other just slightly.

If you’ve color synced any layers, drag those shapes to separate places on the mat to make it easier to keep track of cutting from different colors.

Then click back on the faux leather mat to select it. Click the green CONTINUE button to make the first material selection.

STEP 4 – Make Material Selections

Note for Explore Air 2 users: Cricut Explore Air 2 users will need to turn the dial to “Custom” before choosing Faux Leather (Paper Thin).

Note for Cricut Joy users: Cricut Joy users should check out my tutorial on How to Make Earrings with the Cricut Joy with more specific instructions for Joy users.

I always cut the faux leather mat first.

On the Material Selection screen, choose Faux Leather (Paper Thin) as the material setting. If you don’t have this material setting as a favorite, click “Browse All Materials” to search for it and select it.

Then select “More” from the Pressure dropdown menu.

Now it’s time to prepare the faux leather mat to cut.

STEP 5 – Cut the Faux Leather Mat

NOTE: I didn’t put a backing on these faux leather earrings in this tutorial to keep it as short as possible. But I do have a post here and a YouTube video here that demonstrate four ways to put a back on faux leather earrings if you want to learn more.

I cut the bells from silver faux leather, but you can use any color faux leather you want. You can also use silver heat transfer vinyl to create faux leather in the color you wanted if desired. I have a YouTube video all about how to use heat transfer vinyl to make any color faux leather which you can check out here.

Cut a piece of faux leather just slightly larger than the size shown in the mat preview screen.

Place it pretty side down on a sticky purple cutting mat in the same location shown in the mat preview screen.

Tape the faux leather down on all sides with blue painter’s tape.

Make sure the white “star wheels” on the roller bar are pushed off to the side so the wheels don’t make indentations in your material.

Load the mat into the Cricut by lining up the mat with the guides and pressing the double arrows button. The machine will pull the mat into the machine.

Press the C button to begin the cut.

After the cut is complete and before unloading the mat, use a weeding tool to carefully lift the edge of the faux leather shape to see if the cut was complete.

If not, press the C button again to repeat the cut.

Unload the mat and remove the earring shapes. You can trim any stray fuzz with small curved scissors.

Use the sharp tip of your weeding tool to clean out the earring hole.

If the Cricut didn’t cut the earring hole all the way through, or you used the earring SVG without holes, use a 1/16″ hole punch to make the earring holes now.

If the edges of your faux leather are white and distracting, use a color coordinated Sharpie marker to color th edges.

STEP 6 – Cut the Vinyl Layers

Next, cut the vinyl layers. I’m going to cut the silver foil detail on the bell bottom first.

If you’re using Foil Iron-On like I am, select Foil Iron-On as your material setting with “Default” pressure. Or choose the material setting that best matches your selected material.

In Cricut Design Space, on the left hand mat preview, click on the vinyl mat(s).

You can use your mouse to hover over the mat to make a note of the size vinyl you need to cut out the shapes completely. I like to use a small piece of vinyl trimmed just larger than the shapes that need to cut.

Reminder: if you are using heat transfer vinyl, be sure the MIRROR toggle is turned on. For permanent vinyl, leave MIRROR off.

Choose your material setting.

Place the heat transfer vinyl you plan to cut shiny side down on a green standard grip cutting mat in the location(s) shown on the mat preview screen.

Load the green mat into the Cricut and press the C button to begin the cut.

When the cut is complete, unload the mat and weed away the excess vinyl using a weeding tool.

Repeat the cut with the other mats. If you are cutting more than one color material on one mat, place the different materials on separate areas on the mat as show in the mat preview.

Make the material selection for the other vinyl mats. I’m using Glitter Vinyl with default pressure.

NOTE: If you are using Siser Glitter heat transfer vinyl for any of your layers, I recommend repeating the cut once by pressing the C button again before unloading the mat.

Weed away the excess vinyl.

STEP 7 – Press the Vinyl to the Faux Leather Earring Shapes

I press vinyl to faux leather using a Cricut EasyPress Mini on the “low” setting (one green bar). You can also use a traditional EasyPress set to 255-265 degrees.

Refer back to the Layering Guide image earlier in this post for a refresher on what order to place the layers in.

It’s important to have a heat pressing pad to protect your surface, as well as a cover sheet of some kind to put between the heat and your materials. You can use a piece of parchment paper, butcher paper, or a Teflon sheet.

Place the faux leather shape on the pressing pad and layer the vinyl on top. Cover with a cover sheet and press for 7-10 seconds. You can move the EasyPress Mini around like an iron if you’d like to.

After 10 seconds, remove the cover sheet and carefully try to peel up the clear vinyl cover sheet. If it peels up easily, remove it. If the vinyl is pulling up, place the clear vinyl cover layer back down and repeat pressing for 5-7 seconds. Repeat this process until the vinyl adheres to the faux leather well.

Layer the green “holly leaves” vinyl layer onto the bell earring shape. Cover again with a cover sheet and press. Carefully peel away the clear cover sheet.

Then press the holly berries.

If you haven’t already, repeat the layering and pressing process with the other earring.

Then cover both earrings with your Teflon cover sheet or parchment paper and press one more time, for about 5 seconds.

STEP 8 – Attach the Jump Rings and Earring Hooks

Now it’s time to attach the earrings hooks.

You’ll need two jump rings, earring hooks, and two pairs of flat nose pliers. I use 6mm jump rings.

I like to twist the bottom loop of the earring hook 90 degrees first so the faux leather earrings hang straight.

For more details and step by step instructions on how to do that, you can watch my YouTube video here.

Then use the two pliers to open the jump rings and connect the faux leather earring shapes to the earring hooks. Close the jump rings tightly to keep the earrings secure.

That’s it! Your Christmas Bell Earrings made with faux leather and a Cricut are complete!

If you made these earrings, I would love to see them! Please share them in my Free Cricut Crafting Facebook group, Get Crafty with Amy Romeu. You can request to join here.

Printable Instructions

Want to remember this? Post this CRICUT CHRISTMAS BELL EARRINGS project to your favorite Pinterest board!

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